A/N: Sirius' view of Americans in general is not meant to reflect my opinion or the opinion of others. I apologize for any offense my fellow Yanks may take on this. I just figured he was more than ready to come home after a long and tedious mission. Grr! I have little to no time to update anymore, so the rest may be short in coming. Special thanks to my Beta Sarelle for getting me the information I requested. Hopefully, the long anticipated trial will commence shortly.
Part 3: Fallen Leaves of Blood and Gold
Dumbledore sat heavily at his desk as he re-read the parchment in front of him. This was all very surreal to him, and he had no idea how to proceed from the position he was in. The door to his office opened and in walked Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. Dumbledore sighed and bade them come in. Nervously, the students obeyed. It was the first time either of them had been summoned to the Headmaster's office.
"Thank you for coming," he greeted them solemnly, "I'll be sure to speak to your professors about your absences."
"What's wrong, Professor?" asked Hermione softly. She had never seen her Headmaster look so…well…miserable before. Not since Cedric's death. And even then it was a mournful, solemn affair. Now, he looked cowed, beaten. No twinkle was in his eye and he carried himself like the old man he was.
"Please have a seat and I'll explain everything to you."
They obeyed and he took out two pieces of parchment. He handed one to the two students in front of him, "About the same time that you gave me Harry's letter, Mr. Weasley, the Ministry of Magic sent me this letter. It's from the Department of Prevention of Cruelty of Muggles and the Department of the Dark Arts."
Hermione took it from Ron and read it aloud for Ron's sake,
"Dear Professor Dumbledore,
It has been brought to our attention that a little after midnight a student of yours by the name of Harold James Potter Black left the premises of Hogwarts riding a Firebolt and sporting a cloak of invisibility. Around three in the morning, magic was reported to have been performed by an underage wizard at the household of Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Dursley at 4 Privet Drive. Two hours later, a team of hit wizards and Aurors were sent to the scene to investigate where the bodies of the three Muggles were found. They then apprehended Mr. Black a half hour later fleeing the scene of the crime.
Since the time of his apprehension, certain evidence has been obtained that would lead us to believe that Mr. Black may have had a role to play in this crime. Until further notice, he will be kept in a holding cell guarded by two dementors inside the Department of the Dark Arts. He has been formerly accused of the crime of first degree murder and a trial date will soon be set. We advise you to contact his guardian so a defense attorney can be found. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you.
Sincerely,
Adam McGinn, Head of the Department of Prevention of Cruelty to Muggles
Celeste Moriarty, Head of the Department of the Dark Arts"
Ron sat in his chair with a dumbfounded expression on his face, "There is no bloody way that Harry could've done this! They've got the wrong guy! 'Certain evidence' my--"
"Mr. Weasley, please calm yourself," Dumbledore chided gently, "We all know that the idea of Harry being a murderer is inconceivable. However, there are a few questions I have myself. What exactly were his intentions on the night he left? Was he distraught or angry about something? I need you to remember everything you can about the events leading up to last night if it is to help Harry's case. Don't tell me anything right now. I want you to think about it long and hard. You may be called as witnesses in the trial and I need you with a clear, focused mind."
Hermione looked up from the parchment with eyes shining with unshed tears. "Does Sirius know yet?"
"I've already sent a letter to Remus and he will forward the message to Sirius in America. I thought it might be best for him to hear it from a friend. Sirius should be back as soon as he can safely withdraw from his mission."
Ron's fierce brown eyes met with Dumbledore's in an unspoken challenge. "What do you think, Professor?"
The Headmaster recognized the challenge for what it was. "Whatever I think about the situation is irrelevant, Mr. Weasley. It has been taken out of my hands. Besides, you do not need me to tell you what you should think. Therefore, I shall remain safely unbiased until the trial has reached its end." He shook his head to clear his rapid thoughts, "You may return to your Common Room now to think this over. But please try not to discuss this with your classmates who are not involved. And try to keep an unbiased view as well. Personal feelings are rarely to be trusted in matters such as this. Keep to the facts and you will get your answers."
They stood and left the room without so much as a word of parting to the Headmaster. They felt he was turning his back on Harry and assumed the boy's guilt. Oh, if only they knew what he really thought. He sighed. Yes, they had to stick to the facts if it was to prove the boy's innocence. And of Harry's innocence, Professor Dumbledore had no doubt.
/Oh, Harry,/ he thought sadly, /What have you gotten yourself involved in this time?/
****
The atmosphere of the Tricky Brew Bar, usually dreary and laid back, was suddenly abuzz with excitement. Sirius sighed and sat at his usual seat in the corner. Such was the way with Americans, he mused, cradling a Jack Daniels. One minute they had something of great importance and excitement on their minds and the next, they were back to their dull boring lives again. Whatever it was, he was sure it would not captivate their attention for very long as Americans in general seemed to get very bored very quickly. He was beginning to miss even the everlasting rain of England as opposed to this ever-changing New England weather. One had to wear a winter jacket, shorts, and a poncho just to keep up with it all.
It did not take long for Sirius' contact to meet up with him in his corner. The American Unspeakable, known only as Rabbit, was acting undercover in a small coven of Death Eaters. It was Rabbit's job to keep Sirius informed of their movements and Sirius' job in return to alert the appropriate Wizard governments, be it American or British, to prevent their progress without anyone's cover being blown. All in all, it was a very tedious and nerve-wracking experience and he was pleased to see it coming to an end. Rabbit was just about ready to set up the ultimate trap for the Death Eaters. Then it was prison for the coven, a pay raise for Rabbit, and a first-class ticket home for Sirius.
Rabbit sat casually across from Sirius and ordered a whisky. He had something folded up under his arm, but Sirius wasn't about to comment on it. Rabbit was a friendly enough person until you got to asking questions you had no business asking. It was wise just to mind your own business around him. Besides, Sirius didn't really care what it was. His thoughts were thousands of miles away on his homeland where a certain boy was waiting for his father to come home. He couldn't wait to see Harry again and wondered how he was getting along.
"Evening, Snuffles," Rabbit greeted, using their agreed term for Sirius in case anything was intercepted.
Sirius greeted him absently, "Rabbit." He nodded at the excited group of wizards talking in the rest of the Tricky Brew. "What's up with them? Did the Weird Sisters break up or something?"
Rabbit's eyes widened slightly, but he gave no other perception he was startled, "What's got your wand in knot?" /He must not know yet. But how could he not know about his own son…/
"Sorry, Rabbit," Sirius apologized, "My mind's just a little frayed, that's all. I'm a little preoccupied."
"Ah," Rabbit nodded with understanding, "With your boy?"
Sirius nodded. In the short time they had known each other, they had swapped a few stories. Nothing major in case anyone else overheard, but so they got to work more as partners instead of impersonal contacts. During these talks, Sirius had talked about Harry a bit. It was no secret to Rabbit who Sirius was or his 'son'. And it was obvious just by talking to the British agent how much Harry meant to him.
"I understand perfectly, Snuffles," Rabbit assured, thinking Sirius already knew, "As soon as this mission is over, you can go back to see him. I'm sure he's wondering where you are by now."
Sirius thought this was odd, but let it slide. After all, he had had a long day and perhaps one more drink than was wise. "Do you have the information I asked for?" he asked, getting straight to business.
Rabbit nodded and ran a hand through his sandy blond hair, "Yeah. The final plan can be carried out tomorrow night. I told the leader, you know, Bren, that a British Death Eater would meet him with news of You-Know-Who's return."
Sirius nodded, silently grateful that the American President of Magic was much more realistic than Fudge. President Kali Alwin was made aware of recent events by Dumbldore and reacted well to it. She placed all of her Departments on high alert and made sure that Voldemort's supporters would never find stable ground in her country. So that made Rabbit all the more better to work with since he wasn't trying to deny anything was wrong as opposed to Croaker and his crowd of Unspeakables. Alwin also welcomed Dumbledore's offer of a British agent to help take care of a strong Death Eater coven in Boston that was growing stronger. Sirius' job was to get the coven out in the open so Kali's forces could take them out.
"Where is it going to take place?" asked Sirius. Rabbit took out a map from his coat pocket. Sirius noted mentally that the rolled up…thing still remained underneath his arm. He pointed to a spot on the map of Boston.
"Here. Just south of Quincy Market. The Aurors and hit wizards can set up their ambush in the warehouses surrounding the meeting place. It's behind another wizarding bar called The Celtic Curse. Do you know it?"
"Yeah. I went there to meet your superior. Trance I believe she called herself."
Rabbit nodded, "Yes. Well, you're going to be a Death Eater in the Inner Circle sent to oversee their progress in America. Your name is Armand Flare, but I doubt we'll get as far as introductions. Bren will want to move to a more 'secure' location to talk and you'll have to move your forces in fast. The coven is a little skittish about being all together outside and will want to break up at the first sign of trouble. A bit paranoid I say. But Bren wants to make a good impression."
"What time?"
"Midnight, but you should have your men be there at nine. He'll be looking for any unusual movement, so try to make them look inconspicuous when they arrive. This is our only chance to get Bren's gang without a lot of bloodshed. I don't need to tell you how important this mission is."
Sirius nodded, "Don't worry, Rabbit. Everything will go as planned."
Satisfied with the answer, Rabbit looked over at the excited wizards and then back at Sirius, "So how do you think it'll turn out?"
"Just fine. Bren won't be able to…"
"No, not that. With your boy, I mean. How do you think the trial will turn out?"
Sirius gave him an odd look, "Rabbit, what the bloody hell are you talking about? What about my son? And what trial?"
He looked over at the wizards in the bar and noticed for the first time that his son's name was definitely mentioned more than once. In fact, he seemed to be the main topic of their debate. How could he have missed it before?
Rabbit's large brown eyes grew wide again, "Y-you mean you haven't heard? You of all people? Have you been living under a rock somewhere?"
Sirius grew impatient with the roundabout talk. Another thing that made him long for his native soil. "Get to the point, Rabbit. I've been very busy lately making sure your cover hasn't been blown. So let's just say that I have been living under a rock. What's going on? Why are those wizards talking about Harry?"
Rabbit took out the folded up thing from underneath his arms and laid it in front of Sirius. It was the latest edition of 'The Weekly Warlock'. On it was a giant picture of Harry being led toward a very familiar prison. One that Sirius had spent years trying to forget.
His face grew deathly pale as he read the caption below: The Boy Who Lived a cold blooded murderer? Found fleeing the scene of murdered family of Muggles. Details on page 3.
Rabbit knew the instant the words sank into his partner for as soon as Sirius had finished the caption, he was tearing through the article at record speed. The reporters in America hadn't the sources that the British ones had, but what they did supply was enough to make the hair on the back of Sirius' neck stand on end. Harry, his Harry, accused of the Dursleys' murder and taken to a low security cell in Azkaban to await trial. His new father seemingly missing from the boy's side, but the godfather working tirelessly to move him from the prison to a less nerve-wracking holding facility.
Rabbit watched in mute surprise as Sirius quickly downed his drink in record timing and packed up his things. He had heard of the man's unnerving temper, but had yet to see it. Now he was sure that he never wanted to see it unleashed upon the man's object of fury.
"Snuffles," he tried between muttered curses of Fudge, Dursleys, and various other people, "You must calm down. We are still in the middle of a mission."
Sirius stood up so fast his chair flew back into the corner, "Calm down?! How can I calm down? That's my son they have in that prison! How could they! He's just a boy! Wait till…"
"Damnit, Snuffles!" Rabbit shouted grabbing Sirius by the shoulders. His temper too had its reputation among his colleagues, "Get a grip on yourself. Wigging out is not going to change what happened! The sooner you stop freaking on me, the sooner the mission is over, and the sooner you can go back to your boy."
"I've got to go back, Rabbit," Sirius argued, startled by the sudden change in his partner, "He needs me."
"My country needs you right now, Snuffles," Rabbit snapped, his brown eyes blazing with intensity. "You promised Alwin you would do your job, so do it! I can't let you turn your back on my people like this just for one boy, no matter how special he is. Hell, I have a little girl of my own. I know how you want to keep him from all harm. But the danger to her is more immediate than the danger to him. I won't let her go through what we went through growing up. Just wait until tomorrow night, Snuffles. I swear the second Bren's coven is taken, you can Apparate yourself away."
"But my son—"
"—Can wait another 24 hours. Promise me you'll wait, Snuffles. Just one day is all I ask. Please!" Rabbit hadn't let go of Sirius' shoulders and the other wizards were beginning to notice. Not wanting to attract any more attention, Rabbit let go of Sirius and sat back down. "Promise me," he said in a more quiet voice becoming of his position.
Sirius stood there for a moment in miserable indecision. He knew that he had already sworn to this mission and that Remus could handle things over there until he got back. But, Merlin it was hard! Harry was his son in all but blood and it broke his heart to see how he was always targeted like this. But, Rabbit was right. There was nothing he could do about it right now and the longer Bren's coven stayed free, the larger the threat of an uprising became. This needed to be done.
He nodded in defeat and Rabbit sighed with relief. "Good. Now why don't you go get some sleep. You have a busy day tomorrow and, if I'm any judge, you won't get much sleep in the next few days anyway."
Sirius nodded and turned toward the door. "Bye, Rabbit."
"I'll see you tomorrow, Snuffles. Get some rest."
He snorted in reply, "I'm sending the first owl I get my hands on to Britain. I may not be there, but I need to get into contact with Moony. He probably already sent me a message."
Rabbit frowned in disapproval. "It's risky, Snuffles. What if someone notices?"
"Then I'm receiving orders from Voldemort. I don't care. Goodbye, Rabbit. I'll see you at midnight tomorrow."
****
Remus sat down in the large chair in total exhaustion. If it was one thing he hated, it was dementors. True, he did not the body-wrenching phobia that Harry had, but he knew he must have downed a ridiculous amount of chocolate that day. Trying to deal with the dementors and Orcs was damn near impossible! They wouldn't cave in the slightest and the Ministry was no help either.
Just as he was about to drift off into peaceful oblivion, a noise at the fire woke him up. Wearily opening his eyes, he was surprised to see the face of his best friend in the fire. He thought Sirius was restricted from fire messages until the mission was over. Had it ended so quickly?
"I thought I'd find you at my place," Sirius said, barely keeping his patience in check.
"I wanted to see if there was anything here that could help Harry." Remus answered, hoping that Sirius had heard already and he didn't have to explain the situation…again. And he didn't want to say how little luck he'd been having so far. Almost all of Sirius and Harry's belongings were destroyed during the summer courtesy of Javen.
Sirius' face darkened even more and he held up Remus' letter and a copy of 'The Weekly Warlock' for Remus to see. "Yes. Moony, can you please tell me what the hell is happening over there?! And why the hell is he in Azkaban of all places?!"
Remus ran a hand over his face as he struggled to maintain consciousness. Didn't Sirius realize what time it was over here? Instead, he merely answered, "The Ministry is under the impression that Harry killed the Dursleys. Azkaban is just a precaution in case he decides to run before the trial starts. I tried all bloody day to get him moved, but they won't have it. The order comes from the Minister himself."
"I'm aware of all that, Moony. All of America is. But what about Harry? How is he? What does he say happened? He was in school when this happened. Why was he out of Hogwarts?"
"Slow down, Padfoot," Remus pleaded, "One thing at a time. Harry is fine for the moment. When they found him, he was terribly confused and he says he has no idea what happened. He can't remember a thing since leaving the school. And he won't say why he left. Not with all the Aurors and dementors around."
Sirius swore softly for a moment before turning to his friend again. "Hey, Moony," he noticed, "You don't look so good. Are you alright?"
The werewolf chuckled at this, "Other than the fact I spent the entire day negotiating with those soul-sucking fiends, I feel fine. I also see you have failed to notice what day it is today." He saw that Sirius had indeed forgotten, "Tomorrow's the full moon."
His friend shook his head angrily, "But I'll be coming home tomorrow night. Just as soon as I take care of my mission."
Remus sighed, "Well, unless you can stop time, I'm afraid
I'll miss you. What time are you coming
home?"
"A little after midnight tomorrow. I wanted to be here as soon as possible."
"Don't worry about it, old friend. I will see to him all day tomorrow and with the time difference, by the time you are home, it will be nearly dawn."
Sirius nodded and thought for a moment, "How could he not remember what happened? There has to be something more to it."
"That's what he told me, Sirius. And unless he'd hiding something…"
"Shut it, Moony!" Sirius exploded, "Don't you say that about Harry! He didn't do anything wrong!"
Remus stood up from the chair, his blue-gray eyes flashing, "Don't you tell me to shut it, Sirius Black! I'm not saying he did anything. But look at it rationally for a moment instead of from a parent's point of view. Anything short of a memory charm and Harry's hiding something. We checked for one and there was nothing there. They have a case, Sirius. I've seen the evidence and they've got a real case."
"But how could something like this just happen?" demanded Sirius, "One doesn't just wake up and decide to kill their relatives."
At this, Remus' face lost its intensity and his face grew ashen. Sinking back into the old chair, he put his head in his hands. "Oh, God, Sirius. It's all my fault. I told him."
"Told him what, Moony?" Now Sirius was concerned. What could Remus possibly have done that could warrant recent events. "Moony, what have you done? Tell me!"
"I told him about the custody suit!" Remus exclaimed, "The day the Dursleys died I sent him a letter telling him about the Dursleys fighting for him. Then he wrote to me telling me about all sorts of visions he's been having lately. Then he said not to worry about the Dursleys. He would take care of everything."
"You can't be thinking what I think you're thinking. Tell me you're not," Sirius' voice grew dangerous again, "Not about your godson."
"What else is there to think?" Remus whispered.
"You're talking crazy, Moony! He didn't kill anyone! And why did you tell him about the Dursleys in the first place? I thought we would take care of it."
"I wanted him to know the possibility of the change. It wouldn't be fair if we were to tell him the day before he had to move back to that cupboard."
"If everything went to plan, he wouldn't have to move back to that god-forsaken cupboard. Now take back what you just said about Harry! I won't have you thinking he's guilty!"
Remus glared at the fireplace into Sirius' burning eyes, "I'm his defense attorney now, Padfoot. I wouldn't be defending him if I didn't think there was a chance for him. You're tired. We both are. And we won't get anything accomplished if we're screaming at each other. You're in America and I'm here. Nothing can change that now. Now go back and finish your mission. We'll talk when you get here."
"But Moony—"
"We will continue this discussion when you're back and well rested. Not before. Goodbye, Sirius." With that, Remus took his wand and put the fire out. Then he rested his head against Sirius' old pouf and quickly fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
****
Huddled up into a ball was a young boy in a dimly lit cell. Since coming here to Azkaban he hadn't had an ounce of sleep. He was cold beyond all reasoning. And the cold went far passed his skin, but to his bones, to his very soul. He remembered how Sirius' eyes always hardened and a door would shut out the rest of the world whenever the dreaded prison was mentioned. Now he understood why. Even though he was in the lowest security part of the prison so his mind wouldn't rot like the others, he felt as though he were going mad.
A single dementor patrolled up and down the row of cells, pausing now and then to hiss at Harry in anticipation. And every time the creature floated passed, a new memory would surge his mind, overpowering all other senses. At first it used to just be about his parents' deaths. Now it was included with everything Javen did to him. He could recall every horrible vision he had ever had. And it now included whatever traces of the Dursleys' deaths he could remember. That was one of the worst.
//"Vernon!"
"Petunia, run! He's mad!"
"Daddy! Daddy, help me!"
"No! Harry, no! Please, Harry!//
Harry tried to shut out their screams as they died. It was the only time in his life any of them had ever called him 'Harry'. What had happened? How could he plead guilty or innocent if he had no idea what was going on himself? Why had he gone to see the Dursleys? He knew a moment ago, but now it was gone…
//"Petunia, run! He's mad!"//
He squeezed his eyes shut as hard as he could. He pulled his gray prison cloak tightly around him as though to keep off the cold. They had taken his school robes away to be used as evidence. Evidence of what, Harry could only imagine. What would they find on his robes that wasn't on his very hands? The gore of the Dursleys stained his hands far beyond what he could wash off. It stained his very soul.
"Dad," he whimpered piteously, "Dad, please come back. I need you."
A/N: Sorry it's so short. With my Senior year now underway, it's becoming harder and harder to find a free moment. Thank you for all your patience and I'll try to get the next part up as soon as possible. And now for some responses:
Nicky: Woah! One out of four entirely right! You'll see which one soon.
Megan: Don't worry! I'll update as soon as I can. ^_^
Avalon Princess: Thanks! And I'll try to update as soon as my other bunnies stop pestering me.
Anonymous: Sorry about the cliffhangar. It just seemed like a good place to stop.
Lily Potter: Oh! Why won't you tell me?! Oh, well, you'll just have to see if you're right and then you can tell me, right? Right?
Kayla Summers: Now, I can't tell you that! That would ruin the entire story! ^_^. I'll be nice and tell you if you e-mail me with a promise not to let the secret out.
